No fewer than nine Chinese nationals have been convicted and sentenced to one year imprisonment each for cyber-terrorism and internet fraud.
This followed the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) securing their conviction and sentencing before two Federal High Court Judges, Justice Chukwuemeka Aneke and Justice Dehinde Dipeolu, sitting in Ikoyi on Friday, July 18, 2025.
The convicts are Deng Wen Quang, Lin Jin, Shi Yang Xiong, Lu Yong Yao, Yang Chen Cheng, Feng Li Cai, Li Niue, Li Kuang Kuang and Dan Jia (a.k.a. Bu Fan).
According to the EFCC, they were arraigned on separate charges bordering on cyber-terrorism and internet fraud.
One of the charges reads: “That you, Yang Chen Cheng, on or about the 11th of December 2024, in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, willfully caused to be accessed, computer systems organized to seriously destabilize and destroy the fundamental economic and social structure of Nigeria when you procured/employed Nigerian youths for identity theft and to hold themselves out as persons of foreign nationality, with the intent to gain financial advantage for yourselves and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 18 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc) Act, 2015 (As amended 2024).”
They all pleaded “guilty” when the charges were read to them. In view of their pleas, the prosecution counsel, M.K Bashir, Babatunde Sonoiki, and B. M. Isha, prayed the court to convict the defendants.
The judges found them guilty of the charges and convicted them accordingly. Each convict was sentenced to one year imprisonment, with an option of a ₦1 million fine.
The court further ordered that upon completion of their sentences, the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) must ensure their repatriation to their country of origin within seven days.
All items recovered from them were also ordered forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
